Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Who plays the Heaviest Bass in the business? Why?


Grangur
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote name='pmjos' timestamp='1508438319' post='3392259']
I have an early NT Thumb Sixer and it weighs in at 11 1/2 lbs. When people see it hey say, oohh heavy - I couldn't cope with that. If I take out my Fodera which weighs not much more that a pound less - they say oohh Fodera want my kidney? I say its heavy they usually say that they wouldn't care. (perhaps more graphic expletives).

My point is that unless you have a bad back, are very modest in stature or build or happen to be 83 then whole weight thing is utter nonsense. Ooh I'm a healthy man in my mid 40's oooh 12 pounds!, couldn't possibly carry that across my manly shoulders on a comfortable strap for a whole hour! Skinny little girls carry 18lb toddlers around all day on one arm. Jeez.....man up guys............
[/quote]
Man up? Seriously.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm getting backache just reading some of these posts!

My heaviest basses are 9 1/2 lbs, and anything heavier than that would be useless to me personally. I am, however, very weight-sensitive.

What strikes me most is how much weight has become an issue nowadays. Back in the 70s and 80s I really don't remember anybody commenting (let alone whinging) about the weight of basses.

And believe me, there were plenty of boat-anchors about! The shops were full of Kramer, Aria, Ibanez, JayDee, Wal etc. all of which were weighty by today's standards. In those days heavy weight was seen as a mark of quality woods and substantial hardware .But then, men were men in those days!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Misdee' timestamp='1508445449' post='3392332']
I'm getting backache just reading some of these posts!

My heaviest basses are 9 1/2 lbs, and anything heavier than that would be useless to me personally. I am, however, very weight-sensitive.

What strikes me most is how much weight has become an issue nowadays. Back in the 70s and 80s I really don't remember anybody commenting (let alone whinging) about the weight of basses.

And believe me, there were plenty of boat-anchors about! The shops were full of Kramer, Aria, Ibanez, JayDee, Wal etc. all of which were weighty by today's standards. In those days heavy weight was seen as a mark of quality woods and substantial hardware .But then, men were men in those days!
[/quote]

I started a post about this a while back, not long after I joined Basschat, as it seemed to be a very big deal on this forum, having never ever heard it being mentioned in over 35 years of playing 1000s of gigs, owning studios, tours etc,...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Misdee' timestamp='1508445449' post='3392332']


What strikes me most is how much weight has become an issue nowadays. Back in the 70s and 80s I really don't remember anybody commenting (let alone whinging) about the weight of basses.

.But then, men were men in those days!
[/quote]

They were soooo high too ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's more, I don't even remember particularly being aware of the weight of individual basses. Back in the 80's I had a pre-EBMM Stingray. Chances are it weighed at least 10 lbs, going by what vintage examples weigh in at. In my memory, it was weightless!

Nowadays I am just as neurotic as everybody else about bass weight. I have it in my mind that Jazz basses seem heavier than other styles of the same given weight. i.e. a 9lb Jazz bass feels more cumbersome than a 9lb Precision. I know this defies the laws of physics, and yes I probably do need some kind of professional help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a bunch of lightweights. My tenor banjo is 12 Kg.

The heaviest bass guitar that I've seen was one with a marble body, made by a student at Newark as an experiment. I'd guess that was a failed experiment, judging by the number of marble-bodied basses you see these days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When our lead guitarist and I were at school we built a (horrifically unplayable) guitar together in woodwork. I remember reading in the 'build your own guitar' book that we used as a guide, that someone had built a guitar from a single piece of granite to try and achieve ultimate sustain.
They apparently also had to construct a steel reinforced tripod to support it as it was too heavy to lift.
I think I'll just use a compressor for sustain!

Still don't like a bass to feel too light though personally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The heaviest bass I have owned was a Washburn Scavenger which was just a whisker over 5kg. I have a massive soft spot for them - something about the symmetry of the body gelled, I liked the fact that it was a Precision sound without looking like a Precision, plus my one was in absolute museum condition. Still miss it, really, and on the rare occasions I have seen them on eBay I almost always stick them on my watch list while considering whether to go for it again. However common sense always prevails as there is no way could I wear one for more than 30 mins without paying for it next day. Plus I don't want any more 4 string basses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...